MUSKEGON, Mich. -- Accused of smothering her newborn baby to death before burying her, 17-year-old Muskegon High School student Jessica Brewster appeared in court Tuesday for her preliminary hearing.
Her attorney, Matthew Herman, requested an adjournment of the hearing, citing the need to wait for medical records and an autopsy of the infant's body to yet be completed. That request was approved.
Herman also issued a statement on behalf of the Brewster family where he revealed the infant now has a name which was given to her by her mother.
The infant, who up until now had only been known as "Baby Girl Brewster" in court documents, has been named Jennifer Gene, according to Herman.
"When the body of Jennifer Gene is made available, the family will plan an appropriate burial," he added.
During Tuesday's court appearance, Brewster and her attorney were denied requests for house arrest and bond review, which had been denied originally during the teen's arraignment.
Muskegon County 60th District Judge Raymond Kosztrzewa agreeing with two main reasons laid out by the prosecutor to deny the requests, including the "seriousness of the charges" and the "likelihood of conviction."
Brewster is facing open murder charges, accused of killing her newborn baby girl shortly after giving birth on Oct. 15 in the bathroom of her mother's home. According to court documents, the teen told investigators she smothered the baby after she began to cry out, fearing her mother would find out about her pregnancy.
The teen would later take the infant's body to her grandmother's senior living complex the following day where she allegedly buried it, later to be discovered by maintenance workers nearly a month later. Brewster was arrested soon after the discovery.
Herman said Brewster's family is hoping to use their tragedy as an opportunity to remind other young teens about Michigan's "Safe Haven" laws, allowing an individual to drop off a newborn up to three days old to any emergency provider, police or fire station, no questions asked.
“(The family) appreciates the public support, they appreciate the Facebook pages and the rallies, they just want to make sure everyone is aware of the laws in Michigan allowing someone to turn in a baby if they don’t choose to keep it," Herman said.
Herman declined to answer questions about whether the family knew Jessica was pregnant before the birth.
Brewster's preliminary exam has now been postponed until Dec. 23 at 9 a.m. in Muskegon County.
